Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm over reports that some young Nigerians are allegedly selling their kidneys to cope with worsening economic hardship.
In a strongly worded post on X on Thursday, Atiku said the situation represented one of the most disturbing consequences of the country’s economic crisis, blaming the policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration for deepening the pressure on vulnerable Nigerians.
According to him, young Nigerians should be selling ideas, skills and innovation — not parts of their bodies — to survive.
‘The most horrifying reports’
Atiku said he had heard “disturbing stories” about the lengths to which some young Nigerians were being pushed in their struggle to make ends meet.
He described reports of young people allegedly selling their kidneys as particularly horrifying, saying the development should “offend the conscience of every Nigerian.”
He claimed some Nigerians were reportedly willing to part with a kidney for as little as ₦1.7 million.
“I have heard disturbing stories about the extent to which young Nigerians are being driven simply to survive. Perhaps the most horrifying are the growing reports of young people selling parts of their bodies: kidneys in particular, in desperate attempts to raise money,” Atiku said.
The former vice president argued that the alleged development should force the country to confront the human cost of economic hardship rather than focus solely on economic statistics.
Atiku blames rising cost of living
Atiku linked the reported desperation to the rising cost of basic necessities under the Tinubu administration.
He listed food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity among the expenses that he said had become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians to afford.
“In Tinubu’s Nigeria, almost everything required to live with dignity is becoming more expensive by the day,” he said.
Atiku argued that the pressure was particularly troubling for young Nigerians, who should be using their energy and talents to build careers, businesses and families.
Instead, he said, some were allegedly being forced into considering how much their organs could fetch.
You May Like: Gumi Reveals What Obasanjo Told Him About Boko Haram Surrender Plan
“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening,” he said.
‘Laws alone cannot cure poverty’
Atiku acknowledged that Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and organ trafficking.
However, he argued that legislation alone would not eliminate the conditions that make vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation.
“Laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks,” he said.
His argument is that enforcement must be accompanied by economic measures capable of reducing the desperation that can make illegal organ networks attractive to people struggling to survive.
Atiku calls for ‘economic reforms with a human face’
The ADC flag bearer called for economic reforms that, in his view, should place the welfare of ordinary Nigerians at the centre of government policy.
He advocated affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent employment opportunities and what he described as “renewed hope for the next generation.”
For Atiku, the alleged rise in organ-selling desperation is more than an issue of individual criminality. He sees it as a warning about what happens when economic hardship reaches a point where people begin contemplating irreversible decisions simply to stay alive.
His message is blunt: Nigeria’s economic recovery, he argued, should ultimately be measured not only by growth figures or macroeconomic indicators, but by whether ordinary citizens can afford to live with dignity.